HARKER HEIGHTS - A former Harker Heights Chamber of Commerce chairwoman died last week, but city leaders say her memory lives on.

Linda Neault, 55, died Thursday at Scott & White Hospital in Temple.

Neault, a former H-E-B store manager, served several years on the Harker Heights Chamber board and served from 2001 to 2003 as the board's chairwoman, a position that is normally only held for one year.

"She is really going to be missed in the community," said City Manager Steve Carpenter. "She was a true asset to us, and so is her husband, Paul. Her passing away was just really a loss to us."

Neault was a strong manager and a real motivator to everyone she knew, he said.

As a chairwoman, Neault brought a lot of ideas forward for the Chamber of Commerce, chamber President Bill Kozlik said.

"What Linda did, she had an agenda, and she would stick to that agenda," Kozlik said. "(The chamber) got things done; we didn't skip around."

Neault also made sure that any event the chamber hosted would turn some profit to give back to the community, every luncheon and every golf tournament, Kozlik said.

"If you had something, you made it the best you could make it," Kozlik said. "If we are going to do it, we are going to make it worth while, and we were going to come out with something that is going to be worthwhile to us."

Despite all her efforts to give back, Neault was the type of person who never wanted recognition for her work, Carpenter said.

"She wasn't someone who needed a lot of recognition; she just did the right thing all the time," he said. "There was a whole body of work that she did in the community ... and it adds up to a whole lot. More than anything else she was just a good friend and a good community leader."

Neault also worked for Smith Carlson Law Firm and the Military Child Education Coalition after retiring from H-E-B. She also was a member of the Harker Heights Citizens Police Academy.

"Linda was just a wonderful, wonderful dear, sweet person who was out to help everyone," Kozlik said. "She always did her share and never asked anyone to cover (for) her. Her husband, Paul, is an absolutely wonderful person also. Her husband was right there at her side at all times."